At the very edge of the sect’s boundaries, far beyond the valleys, so far away the skeleton was only a blur in the distance, the shuttle finally slowed. It circled down to earth, looping through the air. Fa Chuyou hopped off, landing delicately on the ground. Moss-covered boulders climbed all around them, softened by the green growths. Dampness hung on the air from a nearby waterfall, a narrow but deep stream of water pouring down from the peak high above to slam into a rocky basin below. The shuttle hovered before a shallow ridge cut into a boulder halfway up the rocky cliff, just wide enough for three people to stand comfortably. With their numbers, they ended up crowded together, shoulder to shoulder.

Hui scanned up and down the waterfall. The boulders along the cliffside cut irregular shapes into the wall, often appearing to offer a flat surface or a landing spot not unlike the one they stood on now. If I hadn’t been led here by Fa Chuyou, I would have never seen this ledge.

Fa Chuyou lifted a hand and delicately pressed on a portion of the rock wall before them. The rock melted away, revealing a dark passage wide enough for one person to walk through. Without saying another word, she led them inside.

Hui gestured for Xixing to go first. “Stay ahead of me, where I can see you,” he declared sternly, as though he saw her as a hostage.

Xixing snorted at him but obeyed, vanishing into the darkness. Yi Ping glared at Hui and followed shortly after.

Drawing up alongside him, Bai Xue rested a hand on Hui’s shoulder. “You know, I don’t think anyone’s falling for your act. You, stern?”

“Shut up,” Hui muttered under his breath, embarrassed. The only person who needs to fall for it is Yi Ping! I don’t expect you to fall for it! He shook off Bai Xue’s hand and stepped into the mine.

The passage wound into the earth, descending steadily downward. It expanded as they descended, growing wider and wider around them until at last Fa Chuyou stepped around a curve and drew to a halt. By now, they could all walk abreast, and stood grouped in a loose circle. With a flick of her sleeve, Fa Chuyou sent a ball of mysterious white fire toward the ceiling. It zoomed upward, emitting almost no light until it reached the apex of the room, at which point it emitted a dazzling bright white light, almost brighter than the sun.

Hui stared, wide-eyed. Beside him, Bai Xue let out a quiet gasp. Xixing’s eyes widened, and she nodded appreciatively.

They stood in the heart of a massive geode. All around them, massive crystals stabbed up from the floor, the walls, the ceiling, beautiful and sparkling, glittering in gorgeous purple. The smallest of the crystals stretched as long and wide as Hui’s forearm, while the largest could have easily held the entire party inside it. The walls undulated, stretching far into the distance, the gentle rise and fall of the rock the crystals had grown on creating waves of purple crystals. As it stretched to seeming infinity, it gave the impression of a sea of scintillating purple light. Rich spiritual energy swirled around them, so that they replenished their qi simply by breathing, without having to consciously cultivate it. This spiritual energy emanated the weightyness of earth moreso than the free, airy energy of the heavens.

Hui drew a breath. If ordinary spiritual energy is equal parts the energy of earth and heaven, then this spiritual energy is seventy percent earth, thirty percent heaven! The purity of the earth-energy here is remarkable. An earth-energy focused cultivator would find themselves immersed in a holy land here. Unfortunately… it’s the same as ordinary spiritual energy to me. I gain no benefits from this unusual energy.

This thick earthen energy must be what nourishes the natural treasures found in this mine! A natural holy land like this is an incredible boon for any tribe. How many of these does Black Asp Sect possess?

“This… is the Infinite Purple Geode. All manners of materials synthesize from the powerful energy of the earth drawn out here. However… when it comes to finding or harvesting them, that comes down to your luck,” Fa Chuyou intoned.

Hui nodded sagely. Luck, too, can be considered part of cultivation. Those with poor luck won’t be able to reach the immortal realm, no matter how hard they try! Thus… this small cultivator must depend on not only his luck, but everyone else’s, too! By having Xixing and Bai Xue here to help me, I can have thrice the luck when it comes to gathering materials.

“I’m looking for gold-vein wire and black mist pine sap,” Hui stated.

Xixing looked at him. “Wouldn’t black mist pine sap be found… near pines?”

Hui blinked at her. What Elder Sister says is reasonable!

Fa Chuyou shook her head. “Black mist pine sap is an ancient material, birthed from the black mist pine, which no longer exists in this world. Only the amber can be found today. A powerful magical artifact, it only appears nowadays in areas with strong earth magic like this Infinite Purple Geode that naturally draw magical materials toward them.”

Hui nodded, putting a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

Xixing shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Fa Chuyou snorted. “As if a mere pill cultivator who runs around chasing weeds would understand the intricacies of corpse refinement.”

“Someone who mucks around with dead bodies wants to look down on the righteous art of pill refinement?” Xixing returned, scowling at Fa Chuyou.

“You are a mere hostage. Mind that you don’t speak back to your betters,” Fa Chuyou proclaimed.

“Ah, Elder Sister Xixing, could you please come over here? I think I might have found some gold-vein wire,” Hui said, smiling.

Xixing narrowed her eyes at Fa Chuyou, but reluctantly wandered over to his side. Fa Chuyou followed beside her, curious.

Knelt beside one of the smaller crystals, Hui hooked his fingers under the crystal’s base and drew out a wire wrapped around its stem, peeling it free for Xixing to see.

“That’s not gold. It’s copper,” Xixing said.

“Ah, my apologies, I made a mistake, a mistake,” Hui said. He gestured Xixing on, deeper into the crystals.

Fa Chuyou harrumphed, crossing her arms as she watched them walk off. When they passed out of sight in the forest of crystals, she shook her head and turned off in the opposite direction to pursue her own batch of materials.

Glancing around, Hui checked for Yi Ping. The man stood by the entrance to the cave, hands tucked behind his back, sharp eyes scanning the room.

Good, he’s far enough away. He shouldn’t be able to hear. Leaning in, Hui murmured, “We need to figure out how to get you out of here.”

Xixing grunted. “After you remove the curse.”

Hui nodded. “It’ll have to be quick. I remove the curse, you run. How fast can you move?”

Xixing shrugged. “I’m not much of a combat cultivator. When I’m not cursed, I’m at the third realm and can move at that speed, but…”

Hui bit his lip. If she’s only at the third realm, and can’t even fly, then…

Bai Xue slung an arm over each of them. Behind her, Yi Ping squinted suspiciously at them. Casually, hands hidden in front of Hui and Xixing, Bai Xue made a quick succession of hand signs. A second later, ghost images overlapped with them, babbling on about nonsense. Their voices sounded muted, as though Hui heard them from a distance. They took another few steps, and the ghost images turned off to the left, while the three of them went right.

“He shouldn’t be able to see or hear us for the space of time it takes an incense stick to burn,” Bai Xue offered.

“Thank you, Elder—Brother,” Hui said, catching himself in time.

Bai Xue nodded. “Planning on breaking her out?”

Xixing nodded. “The problem is that I’m not particularly fast. Once I’m released from the curse, the seniors will either have to be distracted, or not care about the fact I’m escaping. Anyone at the upper third realm or above could catch me easily.”

Bai Xue put his hand on his chin, thoughtful, then snapped his fingers. “Hui, what about the trial realm? The seniors should be distracted during that.”

“Right, but I’ll be in the trial realm,” Hui pointed out.

Bai Xue waved his hand. “After the trial is over, most of the seniors will be celebrating or consoling their disciples. They won’t want to be bothered over a lowly hostage like Xixing escaping. Though the lower-level sect members will likely chase us, it’s unlikely the seniors will make a move during that time.”

Hui nodded slowly, thoughtful. “I… will probably also escape in that window. It’s the ideal time to go. Even if they discover we’re the ones who broke Xixing out, no harm should come to us, since we’ll be back in our sects by the time that happens.”

“I also plan to escape after the trial realm. We can escape together and take Xixing with us,” Bai Xue pointed out.

“When does the trial realm open?” Xixing asked, crossing her arms. “I can only hold out for so long. Once I concoct the pill, there’s no guarantee they’ll continue to treat me well.”

Bai Xue furrowed his brows. “It opens in about a month. The trial itself generally takes a week, but…”

Xixing nodded. “The Three Breaths Pill they want usually takes a week to concoct. Using all my skill, I can drag it out to a month, but any more than that, and the pill might collapse. They only have enough ingredients for one attempt at making the pill, so I absolutely cannot allow the pill to fail. My only hope is to start concocting the pill immediately. After all, if Xi Guping comes back… I don’t want to turn into a puppet.”

“Xi Guping… is gone,” Hui said quietly.

Xixing glanced at him and raised her eyebrows.

“He’s dead. We killed him in the Blood Mist Valley’s inheritance zone,” Bai Xue added.

“Oh,” Xixing said, surprised. Her eyes flickered toward Hui, and then she nodded. “In that case, I should be able to stall and draw it out that long. But remember, the longer I draw it out, the greater the chance of failure.”

Hui nodded slowly. I don’t want to risk Xixing’s life unnecessarily. I’ll have to speed through the trial realm as quickly as possible!

“Though… aren’t we on the sect boundaries now?” Xixing pointed out.

Bai Xue shrugged. “I have unfinished business.”

Hui bowed to Xixing. “Many apologies, Elder Sister, but this small cultivator still has enlightenment he wishes to seek here.”

Xixing arched a brow. “You’re serious about corpse cultivation?”

Hui squirmed. “I… please don’t misunderstand, Elder Sister. It’s not that I want to lead an army of corpses into battle. I simply wish to have a replacement body, so that I can play dead more convincingly.”

A long moment passed. Xixing stared at Hui, her eyes dead. At last, she snorted and shook her head. “That… is the most you-like thing I’ve heard this whole time. When have you failed to play dead, after all? Not in the tournament. Not when your life was on the line with a fellow disciple. Not when you wanted to avoid taking that pill…”

Hui bowed again. “Thank you, Elder Sister.”

“It’s not a compliment,” Xixing said dryly, but smiled anyways.